This thread made me dig my tying gear back out.
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To date, I've caught Blackdrum, Skipjacks, Jackfish, Mangrove snapper, Specks and dink Redfish with my relatively new 8wt stick. Added a bunch of Texas made flies and spoons to my tackle, as well as flies I purchased from regions around the world that mimic shellfish and shrimp.
My challenge has been, every time I haul someone fishing with me, they don't fly fish and I've been reluctant to bore them with my effort to fish my fly gear. This year, my youngest son and I will put some serious effort into chasing the inshore and surf scene with my fly gear.
I've had some fun times wading the 2nd sandbar on PINS, nailing everything chasing the menhaden run in the surf. A floating fly line will ride the waves in, pulling my menhaden fly in on the strip, making it easier to control my take-up as I strip. I keep my eye on end of my fly line and tippet and hits are spotted when the bait is picked up. I wore myself out on skipjacks one morning, landing dozens of big skippies that jumped like mad = poor man tarpon LOL! They can't toss the hook very easily on a whippy fly rod tip.
On the top - ready to go!
Skiff will see some serious flats action this year with the fly gear. I use a Linekurv stripping basket on windier days and or toss a towel over my trolling motor to eliminate snags on the strip. I typically setup from the starboard bow standing well over to the right to strip down on the deck....If I don't have the time to wear my Linekurv basket.
The Linekurv basket works perfectly on jetty fly fishing trips. I typically setup just about halfway from the water with the wind at my back and roll cast spoon, clousers, shrimp flies and menhaden silicon fly baits tight against the rocks with a floating fly line on a 9 - 11ft tippet. The floating fly line lets me lay the fly in close with the line riding over and or between the rocks above the snags. Working a roll cast down below the apex of the rocks above, I partially block the wind making casting with distance easier on the back haul.
I have 5 boxes full of flies now. 3 spools rigged for different styles of fishing - one spool is packed with literally 300 yards of braid backing, and a 9wt Scientific Anglers Redfish taper for inlets and deeper water action. TFO 8wt with an 8wt Galvan Rush lite reel. The other two spools are 8wt Redfish taper and an 8wt Bonefish taper. All are sky blue in color.
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Originally posted by LonghornTX View PostRod building? You should do a photog of a rod build and post it in the DIY section. I bet some of us would love to see it.
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Originally posted by LonghornTX View PostRod building? You should do a photog of a rod build and post it in the DIY section. I bet some of us would love to see it.
The basics for thread wrapping can be found with a few DIY videos over at Mudhole Tackle and or on YouTube via Mudhole Tackle
The world's largest inventory of rod building and tackle crafting components from the best brands — MHX, CRB, Pro Products, Fuji, American Tackle, Pacific Bay and more!
The build will have Fuji Titanium fly guides - SIC strippers (a pair) - (weight and corrosion reduction), a custom Klondike fly reel seat (bling) and a shot of custom wraps above the fore grip for a bit more individuality.
I tossed a thread up covering an offshore build I did last summer. It's not a fly rod build but the build is very similar - reel seat setup, guide wraps and such, as used in a fly rod.
Finding the spine in each blank section, on a modular fly rod build, is critical in the overall performance of the blank. I'll cover that and the methods I use to measure and build a rod, typically around a reel, that will be the primary reel for that blank.
A lot of the high end rod blank manufacturers, provide guide spacing measurements to be used on a specific blank's flex and bend. Toward the butt of the rod, the power zone, you can beef up a bit more there if the rod will be used for heavy action gamefish.
I'll build an 8 wt stick to cover the coast. Blank to be determined.....part of the fun in building a custom rod!
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Originally posted by AtTheWall View PostTo date, I've caught Blackdrum, Skipjacks, Jackfish, Mangrove snapper, Specks and dink Redfish with my relatively new 8wt stick. Added a bunch of Texas made flies and spoons to my tackle, as well as flies I purchased from regions around the world that mimic shellfish and shrimp.
My challenge has been, every time I haul someone fishing with me, they don't fly fish and I've been reluctant to bore them with my effort to fish my fly gear. This year, my youngest son and I will put some serious effort into chasing the inshore and surf scene with my fly gear.
I've had some fun times wading the 2nd sandbar on PINS, nailing everything chasing the menhaden run in the surf. A floating fly line will ride the waves in, pulling my menhaden fly in on the strip, making it easier to control my take-up as I strip. I keep my eye on end of my fly line and tippet and hits are spotted when the bait is picked up. I wore myself out on skipjacks one morning, landing dozens of big skippies that jumped like mad = poor man tarpon LOL! They can't toss the hook very easily on a whippy fly rod tip.
On the top - ready to go!
Skiff will see some serious flats action this year with the fly gear. I use a Linekurv stripping basket on windier days and or toss a towel over my trolling motor to eliminate snags on the strip. I typically setup from the starboard bow standing well over to the right to strip down on the deck....If I don't have the time to wear my Linekurv basket.
The Linekurv basket works perfectly on jetty fly fishing trips. I typically setup just about halfway from the water with the wind at my back and roll cast spoon, clousers, shrimp flies and menhaden silicon fly baits tight against the rocks with a floating fly line on a 9 - 11ft tippet. The floating fly line lets me lay the fly in close with the line riding over and or between the rocks above the snags. Working a roll cast down below the apex of the rocks above, I partially block the wind making casting with distance easier on the back haul.
I have 5 boxes full of flies now. 3 spools rigged for different styles of fishing - one spool is packed with literally 300 yards of braid backing, and a 9wt Scientific Anglers Redfish taper for inlets and deeper water action. TFO 8wt with an 8wt Galvan Rush lite reel. The other two spools are 8wt Redfish taper and an 8wt Bonefish taper. All are sky blue in color.
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Originally posted by AtTheWall View PostI'll put a DIY thread up on a fly rod build, once I get the time to do it.
The basics for thread wrapping can be found with a few DIY videos over at Mudhole Tackle and or on YouTube via Mudhole Tackle
The world's largest inventory of rod building and tackle crafting components from the best brands — MHX, CRB, Pro Products, Fuji, American Tackle, Pacific Bay and more!
The build will have Fuji Titanium fly guides - SIC strippers (a pair) - (weight and corrosion reduction), a custom Klondike fly reel seat (bling) and a shot of custom wraps above the fore grip for a bit more individuality.
I tossed a thread up covering an offshore build I did last summer. It's not a fly rod build but the build is very similar - reel seat setup, guide wraps and such, as used in a fly rod.
Finding the spine in each blank section, on a modular fly rod build, is critical in the overall performance of the blank. I'll cover that and the methods I use to measure and build a rod, typically around a reel, that will be the primary reel for that blank.
A lot of the high end rod blank manufacturers, provide guide spacing measurements to be used on a specific blank's flex and bend. Toward the butt of the rod, the power zone, you can beef up a bit more there if the rod will be used for heavy action gamefish.
I'll build an 8 wt stick to cover the coast. Blank to be determined.....part of the fun in building a custom rod!
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Brushy Creek
Originally posted by chrisgunguy View PostYep. Was a bit slow.
I got bit by the fly fishing bug 2 years ago, had a fly rod for 7 years, just rarely fished at first. Now? I prefer it to all other things
In the colder months - I fish trout on the Guadalupe River (I'm also a Trout Unlimited member).
Once it warms up I'll start hitting the local creeks that aint got no fish - mostly Guadalupe Bass, more perch than you can shake a stick at, Rio Grande Ciclids, and this years nemesis - Carp. BIG Carp.
I hooked a 12-15# carp this year (I was targeting Carp, wasnt no accident) and he ran me ragged before snapping me off. I was using my 4wt Trout rod. The next week I bought an 8wt rod that I plan to use for Carp and my next adventure - Salt Water.
IF anybody has a good websites about fly fishing the texas coast, I'd love to see it. I have done alot of google searches but alot of data I find seems to be old.
I also started tying my own flies, its not cheaper than buying flies, but it sure is fun. I just started tying hair bugs and poppers this week, hoping to do some fishing on the Colorado River downriver from Austin and try my luck for some bigger bass.
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Texas has about a dozen lakes used to supply cooling water for electric generating plants that in turn heat up the water and make for some great winter fishing. Cool water is pumped from the lake and as it runs through the coal plant it is heated then returned to the lake. Lake Welsh is one of these lakes that was built for the sole purpose of supplying cooling water to the coal plant. Welsh is a medium sized lake of roughly 1300 acres located in East Texas. During the spring, summer and fall this is not one of Texas' more popular lakes. But come winter time bass clubs, guides and fisherman flock to the warm waters of Lake Welsh. When the water temperature in most lakes are in the 40s and 50s. Being a power plant lake, Welsh will have water temps upwards of 80 degrees during the winter months. This equates to largemouth bass being up to 2 months ahead of non power plant lakes. You can find bass on beds in December, January and February for you bed fishing fanatics. The warm waters have bass active and crushing topwater poppers in the middle of winter.
Continue Reading HERE
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