Fly Tester Day

Mel or at the Pond Stalker blog sent me a handful of custom flies to try on the trout out here. Actually I think he wanted to see if they worked before he tried them.

I rolled out if La Casa Kautz at 0730 and planned to meet Yuki at the Trout Pond and give them a shot. Yuki hasn't been on the water since the "kayak' incident almost a year ago so I figured the best way was to be there when he launched for moral support.

I got there around 0830 and was sitting in the Float Tube Cumberland tying on a fly as Yuki rolled up. He got his kayak in the water and I rigged up his fly rod with a 6x 9' leader, a little 6x tippet
and an olive Wooly Bugger. I wanted him to have as much of an advantage as I could get him.

Back to Mel's custom flies. I wanted to give them a good chance so I picked three for today. The first one was on the top left row (all three are the same). He dubbed them the Wildwood Special because of the road I live on. I also picked (as of yet un-named) left side, bottom row, right side (kind of orange and black colored), and right side, bottom row little green nymph kind of thing (both the same).  

The custom flies

 I worked them in the inlet cove where there was the most activity, but for some reason the fish in the pond don't seem to like shiny flies. Just to be fair I also tried several Crystal Buggers (olive, black, and rust) to make sure I knew what I was talking about.

Finally after about an hour and a half, I switched to an olive Wooly Bugger (no bead) and proceeded to get bump after bump, but couldn't get anything to stay on the line. I switched to the Thin Mint and didn't get a notice, so I went back to the olive Wooly Bugger. The first thing I did was drop one right between my legs and right through the little hole into the lake. The second (and only other one I had) I tied on, got a good hit, and broke the tippet right at the double surgeon knot.

I tied on a bead head olive Wooly Bugger, but they wouldn't even give it a glance.

In the mean time, Yuki was casting his little heart out and getting better with each cast (he doesn't fish much with a fly rod), but here again he couldn't get a glance at his olive Wooly Bugger. It's a tough audience at the Trout Pond.

I tied on a Thin Mint and worked my way all the way around the pond with out so much as a bump.

Then the wind started to pick up and it was one of those kind of winds that you sit one way with the wind behind you and then you turn around because the wind is now blowing in your face. Then you have to turn around again because the wind has moved so it's blowing in your face again. Makes you feel that all you're doing is spinning around in a circle.

Finally, sitting in the cove by the inlet and casting toward open water I hooked and brought to hand the only fish I could manage to keep on the line. A quick photo op and back for another day.

About 14 or 15 inches

Sorry Mel, but flashy didn't seem to interest them today, but I'll keep trying. Maybe another lake will be the key. I'll let you know.

I pulled out at about 12:30 and headed to Mickey D's for a hamburg and fries before I fainted from lack of nourishment.  

Not a spectacular day, but not a skunk either.