Post by barryl on Mar 10, 2010 16:12:27 GMT -5
This morning when I looked out my window there was still an island of ice about 70 to 80 feet across. But, with todays wind it was dispatched by 11:00a.m. A few errands to run then back home to give it a try.
The wind cleared the ice all right, it also made me think twice about using my 4wt (my favorite blue gill rod) but a trip to the up wind side of the water and I could roll cast an easy 40 feet. ( amazing what a little wind to your backside will do) It took a while to find a pocket of the little buggers, but a ledge 6 feet off shore to a straight down depth of about 7 feet did the trick. Presentation? cast out, sit down, put out a picnic, or at least that how it seemed. I would cast the fly out and begin my count 1001, 1002, 1003, all the way to 1030. Then begin a painfully slow retrieve very slow 1 inch strips or one long slow draw by moving my control hand away from the rod. This was timely but you could feel the subtle strike a cold gill delivers, very subtle.
In all I caught 6 medium and 1 large, the favorite fare of the day seemed to be a beaded rubber band fly ( my spring tried and true)and a pan fish fly demoed on one of the "Tying the Anglers Art" web casts. It felt good to get a tug on the other end.
The wind cleared the ice all right, it also made me think twice about using my 4wt (my favorite blue gill rod) but a trip to the up wind side of the water and I could roll cast an easy 40 feet. ( amazing what a little wind to your backside will do) It took a while to find a pocket of the little buggers, but a ledge 6 feet off shore to a straight down depth of about 7 feet did the trick. Presentation? cast out, sit down, put out a picnic, or at least that how it seemed. I would cast the fly out and begin my count 1001, 1002, 1003, all the way to 1030. Then begin a painfully slow retrieve very slow 1 inch strips or one long slow draw by moving my control hand away from the rod. This was timely but you could feel the subtle strike a cold gill delivers, very subtle.
In all I caught 6 medium and 1 large, the favorite fare of the day seemed to be a beaded rubber band fly ( my spring tried and true)and a pan fish fly demoed on one of the "Tying the Anglers Art" web casts. It felt good to get a tug on the other end.
.......................................................Naaa!