From One Extreme to Another

Started by The Great Maudu, September 20, 2017, 04:16:03 AM

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The Great Maudu

Three weeks ago I was in Panama City Beach shark fishing with a massive big game rod and a 16/0 Penn Senator spooled up with 1.2 miles of 200 pound braid and backing. That rig tipped the scales right at 18 pounds. I managed to beach a 14' Tiger shark and posted about it in the Fishing Antiques and Collectables forum. 3 weeks from today I'm traveling north to Grayling, Michigan to fish the Au Sable river and stay at the Ox Bow Lodge. I'll be using a split bamboo, 3 wt fly rod with an old vintage reel. That rig is going to weigh about 12 ounces. We'll be fishing for trout and I'm told catching a 14" fish is doing pretty good. I've never caught a trout before so I'm really excited to give it a try. I'm wondering if we have any fly fishers on here and has anyone been to that neck of the woods?

Bill B

The only fly fishing I do is with those sticky glue strips, but for some reason the fish just dont seem to stick to them when wet  ::)  Bill
It may not be very productive,
but it's sure going to be interesting!

Crow

I do some, here in The Rock River....mostly poppers....for small mouth. I have done a bit in Colorado, for trout, but have never been in the area you are going to....have fun !!
There's nothing wrong with a few "F's" on your record....Food, Fun, Flowers, Fishing, Friends, and Fun....to name just a few !

oc1

.... and a hush fell over the crowd.  Did he say fly fishing?
-steve

happyhooker

Have a single fly rod & reel; have never trout fished in MI; drove thru the UP some years ago & down thru Michilimachinaw (sp.) along E coast of Lake Mich.; promised I'd go back but never made it.

I'm an amateur fly fisher; there are few streams in my neck of the woods & only one I know of that has trout, so fly fishing is on lakes & ponds.  I like to tie flies, work on my gear, etc. It can be rewarding, learning all the "stuff" that other kinds of fishing doesn't deal with.

Frank

The Great Maudu

Quote from: oc1 on September 23, 2017, 07:50:24 PM
.... and a hush fell over the crowd.  Did he say fly fishing?
-steve
You got that right Steve. I'm not on any fly fishing forums so I thought I would throw it out here. I've fly fished since I was a kid in Kentucky on ponds and creeks but never anything serious. I've since learned fly fishers are a serious group of people. And they get top dollar for their stuff. An entry level, custom bamboo fly rod can set you back $1000. As I'm preparing for this trip I'm starting to catch a mild case of fly fishing fever. I think I'll post about it here as it develops if you gentlemen don't mind.

thorhammer

since the only water I've seen is in my coffee pot, yes, Mike please post!!!

Tiddlerbasher

#7
Spent last week in Wales, on the River Wye, fly fishing for trout. Plenty of fishing but no catching. Lots of rain was pushing the water through too fast and heavy - but it was a break :)
Something I didn't expect a new (to me) fishing rod - An old Hardy Palakona 10ft split cane - 'The Gold Medal' Rod. Not sure of the line weight but looks like a 6 weight ;D Serial no. E 18479 which dates it to 1930 - for that age it's in excellent condition and still dead straight. If I can find the line weight I will fish this at least once ;D ;D

Rancanfish

Definitely not going to excite you with screaming drag runs.  The excitement comes from tricking the little buggers into hitting the fly you picked out.

The most fun you can have catching breakfast in a Sierra stream.

That's pretty much all my knowledge.  ;)
I woke today and suddenly nothing happened.

The Great Maudu

Apparently the Au Sable river and the Oxbow lodge are well known throughout the world in fly fishing circles. I believe Hemingway fished there and wrote about it. The lodge was built in 1919 and has quite a bit of history behind it as well. I'm also going to be hunting grouse and woodcock for a magazine article I write for. I'll post things here as they develop. If I slip up and throw in a short hunting narrative please forgive me.

oc1

Can't wait for the story Mike.  I have taken up fly fishing three times, each about twenty to thirty years apart.  Never fell in love and never got to first base with it.  All of my fly rods end up being converted to UL baitcasting.
-steve

Gfish

#11
How's yer casting technique "Great Maudu", takes most people lotsa practice. I equate it toa golf swing: lota body control and timing.
This sounds like a  technically difficult fishery, so don't get discouraged if you don't succeed, especially immediately. The fun will be be in the learning. Lotsa observing of others, asking questions. Onea my beginning flyfishing techniques was to cater a bit to the ego of the people that I saw succeeding. You know, the guys that hook up, then look around to see who's watchin 'em. Ask 'em questions spiced with admiration, 'bout how they did it.
One thing about "educated" trout, they'll refuse alota presentations that aren't perfect, esp. if everyone's been throwin the same stuff at 'em for a while. Sometimes then a novice, like me, shows up does something slightly(mistakenly)diffrent than everyone else and "YES"! "I hooked up, everyone watch me now"! No better feeling than that, for someone like me.
Gfish
Fishing tackle is an art form and all fish caught on the right tackle are"Gfish"!

Benni3

#12
This fly and in black ,,,run a small sinker 2 foot or so above it with a indicator 2 foot above it,,,side drift it 6ft to 18ft from you when you get a bite slowly pull the rod tip up ,,,Dewayne showed me that trick and it works  :D good luck!!!!

The Great Maudu

#13
The gentleman I'm going with as his guest will be more than happy to advise me on casting, presentation, netting and anything else I lack expertise in. For me it's about the challenge of something new and being surrounded by nature in a beautiful place. I may not catch anything and if I don't well, it won't be the first time that ever happened. I've used fly rods going back to when I was about twelve. It was on farm ponds and creeks mostly. Popping bugs and streamers are what I had. This trip is going to be a higher level experience. I just got a copy of Hazen Millers book, The Old Au Sable, to get a feel for the history of the place. I'll post some pics later of the gear I'll be using for the wiley Trout.

Rancanfish

Quote from: Gfish on September 25, 2017, 08:44:07 PM
How's yer casting technique "Great Maudu", takes most people lotsa practice. I equate it toa golf swing: lota body control and timing.
This sounds like a  technically difficult fishery, so don't get discouraged if you don't succeed, especially immediately. The fun will be be in the learning. Lotsa observing others, asking questions. Onea my beginning flyfishing techniques was to cater a bit to the ego of the people that I saw succeeding. You know, the guys that hook up, then look around to see who's watchin 'em. Ask 'em questions spiced with admiration, 'bout how they did it.
One thing about "educated" trout, they'll refuse alota presentations that aren't perfect, esp. if everyone's been throwin the same stuff at 'em for a while. Sometimes then a novice, like me, shows up does something slightly(mistakenly)diffrent than everyone else and "YES"! "I hooked up, everyone watch me now"! No better feeling for someone like me.
Gfish

If I may, I find your writing style unreadable. Too bad because I think your comments when you write normally are astute.
I woke today and suddenly nothing happened.