One of the most popular Heart Of America Fly Fishers outings is our annual December trip to Bennett Springs. This year the weather cooperated, fish were caught, hotdogs and hamburgers were eaten and a good time was had by all.
Category: Fishing
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Four days on the San Juan River
I recently joined fellow Heart Of America Fly Fishers Kevin Carril, Steve Hedgstrom and Ron Carruthers for four days of trout fishing on the famous San Juan River in northwest New Mexico. We stayed at the Soaring Eagle Lodge where we enjoyed scrumptious buffet breakfasts and mouth-watering dinners.
After daylong guided fishing trips we lounged outside our riverside accommodations, tired but happy, sipping adult beverages, awaiting the 7PM dinner and watching the river flow past a few yards away.
The trout, a mixture of browns and rainbows, were taken on tiny #22 and #24 nymphs and emergers. Most were 12″ to 15″ but several approached or topped the 20″ mark.
It sounds like a commercial but it’s true. You can’t beat The Soaring Eagle for tasty food, comfortable, clean lodging, helpful, courteous employees, and knowledgeable guides.
Whether you’re a seasoned angler or a rank beginner Heart Of America Fly Fishers has something to offer. Check us out at http://heartofamericaflyfishers.org.
Interested in learning more about Soaring Eagle Lodge? Take a look at their web site http://soaringeaglelodge.net .
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Just for the halibut
My Colorado friend John Norman caught a big halibut in Alaska recently. Actually I don’t know anything about halibut so maybe, relatively speaking, this is a SMALL one.
I’ve seen John land 26″ rainbow trout on #22 flies. He’s a good fisherman. But I suspect he caught this monster while fishing from a charter boat using a block-and-tackle or maybe an amphibious fork lift.
I’ll bet it was a bitch to clean.
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Big ass Salmon
Any way you look at it this is a hell of a big fish. My buddy Carl Walter caught it near Sea Otter Sound off the northwest coast of Prince Of Wales Island. I think that’s in Alaska. But what the hell do I know?
I don’t think he caught it on a #22 emerger with a 3 wt. fly rod and 7X tippet. Anyway it’s a huge fish. Much bigger than any I’ve ever caught. It’s a 37 Pound king salmon and however he caught it, I hope he shares some of that nice pink meat with me.
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Kansas Wildlife & Parks magazine
Contrary to popular opinion, I draw a LOT of clean, family-oriented cartoons.
Here is just one example from the current issue of Kansas Wildlife & Parks magazine.
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Pike on a fly rod
What’s the old saying? Even a blind hog finds an acorn every once in a while? My long-time fishing buddy and fellow Heart Of America Fly Fishers member Bill Lindley boated this 42.5″ northern pike on a 7 weight fly rod recently.
Where? Someplace between Nebraska and Canada. Wish I had been there to slap high fives with him … after he washed his hands of course. Pike are really slimy.
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Heart Of America Fly Fishers
I always look forward to our One Fly Tournament. The last few years it has been held at Lake Of The Forest in Bonner Springs, KS. This is a very old residential lake surrounded by homes and is full of fat, sassy bass and bluegill.
This year we were joined by some veterans from Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing.
A light rain fell all morning with temperature hovering in the low seventies: a fisherman’s dream. As usual those who arrived early and fished from kick boats or float tubes were the most successful.
The idea is to use one fly all morning. Theoretically if you lose your fly you’re done for the day. Small prizes are awarded for the biggest fish and the most fish and it’s all done on the honor system. Yes, some fishermen are actually honorable. This year the biggest fish award went to a guy who caught a 21” bass (that turned out to be “only” 19” when measured). The award for the most fish went to someone who landed an astounding 63 bass and bluegill. All fish were released.
The morning was capped off with a delicious picnic lunch, lots of bragging and probably some lying. But I didn’t hear ANY bitching.
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Outdoor Writers Of Kansas Conference
The recent OWK conference gave photographer Jon Blumb and I a chance to explore the Flint Hills area near Emporia, KS and catch a LOT of fish.
We spent Monday May 4th with guide Bill Hartman fishing a ranch pond for crappie and bluegills from float tubes. Being a terminal geezer and a rooky float tuber I had trouble getting into and out of the tube and I never got the hang of steering with flippers. But once I got seated I found it to be a very comfortable way to fly fish. Our supply of crappie filets was down to zero but now, thanks to Hartman, the freezer is full once more.
While Bill and Jon filleted the fish I sat in Bill’s truck, mesmerized by the solar powered hula dancer on the dashboard. She obviously has a sustainable power source and leaves a tiny carbon footprint.
After cheeseburgers at Jay’s in Emporia Bill took us to Noel Lyons’ amazing antique fishing tackle museum. Among other relics of angling days past was a casting rod made from a Sherman tank antenna. You don’t see THAT every day!
If you want to get off I-35, see more of the Flint Hills, and do some warm water fly fishing Bill Hartman is your man. Check him out at http://www.flyfishkansas.com.
Tuesday we spent four hours on Melvern Lake with Rue Armstrong of the Topeka Bass Club. Between the three of us we boated and released over forty smallmouth bass. The lure of the day was something called a Wacky Worm Rig. I had never heard of it but the funny looking rig quickly made a believer out of me.
Some photos courtesy of Jon Blumb.
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It’s Tweener Time
As the sun pulls away from the shore and our boat sinks slowly in the west it’s Tweener Time once again.
Remember? A Tweener is a cartoon that is a little too risqué for outdoor publications but too outdoorsy for Playboy. It’s in between.
This Tweener is special because it’s about crappie. How many cartoons have you seen about crappie?
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Bluffs along the White River
Located just upstream from the confluence of the White and Buffalo rivers in northern Arkansas, these majestic bluffs never cease to amaze me as I boat with guide Miles Riley up toward Buffalo Shoals for some excellent trout fishing. As I look up I used to imagine an Indian standing up there with a bow and arrows looking down on a wagon train passing below. Now I imagine a redneck standing up there with an AK-47 guarding his meth lab. Seriously, if you like beautiful Arkansas scenery and good trout and smallmouth bass fishing check out Riley’s Station. http://rileysstation.com .