Fishing Report: Beaver Creek Reservoir

I spent the evening today fishing my local favorite lake, Beaver Creek Reservoir, with Arun and his son, Anand. I had been promising them that senkos and jitterbugs were the way to go when fishing for bass so I was certainly a little nervous that they wouldn't deliver like they usually do. Thankfully, the bass were biting. Pretty much immediately, Arun hauled in a nice sized bass caught on a senko before it jumped off at the last second. We then hit somewhat of a dry spell until sunset at which point the fishing really turned on.

Anand and I headed over to the dam to try our luck there (on a side note, there were others there yesterday fishing all around us, but I didn't see anyone else pulling in bass like we were... gotta be the senkos.) Anand's third cast out got him a sweet largemouth which we returned safely back into the lake. Interestingly enough, while I was helping him unhook the fish, a bass took to my senko as well so I soon thereafter pulled one in as well.

Anand with his good sized largemouth

It started getting darker so I pulled out my black jitterbug to show Arun and Anand how deadly they can be. If my memory serves me right, I think we pulled in three nice bass and had a couple near misses in a span of only thirty minutes. If we had had more jitterbugs to use, who knows how many we could have pulled in.

Yet again, Beaver Creek Reservoir delivered a great fishing experience. There were more people there than I've ever seen before, but it didn't seem to hurt the fishing one bit!

Great place, great company, great fishing.

Longnose Gar on the Fly: Rivanna River

Yet again the Rivanna proves how awesome it is. This past week I was fortunate enough to find a few huge longnose gar to throw flies at. I would equate it to flat fishing for reds (although I've yet to actually catch a red, thanks Rich for continuing to rub it in). I had several successful casts which put my flies right in front of these prehistoric fish but was unable to elicit and serious bites. A green CK baitfish allowed me my first bite but the fish didn't commit. Finally, after sifting through my whole bass fly box, I turned to a white streamer I made to mimic Harry Murray's streamer, the Murray Marauder. Turns out that white flies with tons of action do the trick. I had several follows and hits before finally getting a solid hook set. It was a big guy.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40626436@N00/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

Five minutes later, after a fight that reminded me of my trip to the Delaware river, I carefully landed the gar. Unfortunately, as luck would have it, I was camera-less this trip out so I'll have to make do with exaggerations about how big it was. The gar must have been about 30 inches. Perhaps longer. Unfortunately, that snout really makes it tough to estimate the fish's size accurately so I may be way off. Regardless, it was an awesome fight and a great fish to pull in with a flyrod. I highly recommend it.

Fishing Report: James River at Scottsville

Took a nice 3 mile float trip down the James this weekend with some friends. I brought along some fly rods just in case the fish were biting. On a side note, be careful where you put your expensive fishing equipment because as I learned at our put-in site, people will gladly swipe someone else's stuff if it's left alone for more than a minute.

We put in where James River Runners is located at Hatton Ferry and floated downstream to the takeout at Scottsville.

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Fishing for the first mile and a half was practically nonexistent. The second half of the trip, however, was much better. In fact, about a quarter of a mile from the take out in Scottsville, I pulled in my biggest smallie of the year with one of my glitterbugs. Overall, there was some awesome smallie fishing on the James in this section, you just have to know where to look. I'll definitely be heading back here in the near future.

Fly Tying Instructions: Glitterbug Bass Popper

I got tired of buying bass poppers at the store for $4-5 only to have them get destroyed or lost within 24 hours... and by that I mean, I bought 2 of them and thought, "hey these can't be that hard to make". Since then, I've been making my own and my wallet thanks me.

I've found that online there are not many detailed descriptions of how to make your own bass poppers so I've put this together to hopefully help you figure out exactly how to go about making your own.

The Glitterbug (name courtesy of Rich), is a basic styrofoam bodied bass popper. To make it more durable than a painted popper, I've decided to epoxy the whole thing. This has allowed me to use the same popper over the course of several days of fishing while withstanding tons of abuse. So not only are they cheaper than store bought ones, they're also extremely tough.

The materials you'll need:

- closed cell white styrofoam (I got a 1 inch thick disk of it from Michael's for real cheap)

- any color glitter you want

- hackle colored to match the color of glitter used, I've been using hen hackle

- rubber legs (I prefer using white legs for all of my poppers but feel free to mix it up)

- hooks: I prefer using Eagle Claw plain shanks in size 4 (they're a lot cheaper than orvis hooks, but work just as well)

- 5 minute epoxy: I use Z-poxy

- pad of post-it notes

- bendable razor blades: I looked all over for these. I finally found them at Walmart in the shaving section. The brand I got was called Personna Double Edge

- toothpicks (to stir and apply the epoxy)

- heavy wire (I've been using old guitar strings) or large sewing needles

Instructions:

First cut out a piece of styrofoam that's rounded on top and flat on the bottom. I do this by taking the razor, bending it, and cutting out a piece off of a flat side of the styrofoam. I've found the best way to get it to be cut evenly and smoothly is to line up the razor where you want the cut and then pressing down on it with something else (I use my pad of post-it notes).

I then taper the front of the head and the back so that it looks like below:

Next I carefully push the head of the hook through the foam near the bottom. So that it ends up looking like so...

Next step is to epoxy the face and belly of the popper. To do this, put an equal amount of the z-

poxy hardener and resin on the post-it note pad and mix them together. For this part, I don't like to put any coloring because I'd like to think that it makes it look more like a frog without it. While doing this I make sure to put plenty of epoxy on the hook shank and shimmy the head forward. This ensures that, once the epoxy hardens, the head will remain stationary. I put enough on to successfully cover the belly and the face and then let the epoxy dry while keeping it moving (I don't have a rotating fly drier quite yet... I'll probably make one out of a microwave motor in the near future.) While this is drying, I'll usually start making others so that when it comes to epoxying the rest of the head, I'll have several ready.

Next step, I pour out more z-poxy onto a post-it note pad and mix it well before adding a decent amount of glitter. (Note: if you add too much it gets very clumped up and your fly will look like some kind of lumpy mutant. Play it safe and add a little at first, mix it in and see if you think the epoxy can hold more glitter.)

Then put this over the body of the popper making sure that it meets up with the edges of the clear epoxy from the belly and face. This takes a couple tries to get good at while making sure that the end result isn't uneven or ends up with too much epoxy.

Once it starts to dry up, you'll have to move quickly to put the legs in before the epoxy gets too hard to work with. Basically, once I can touch the epoxy and it doesn't stick to my fingers I can start putting the legs in. To do this I take a large needle or a tough wire (like an old guitar string and make a sharp bend in it). I then push this needle/bent wire through the side of the popper and out the other side. At this point it'll look like this:

Now all you need to do is thread a leg through the body as seen below:

Next, just repeat the same procedure to put in another set of legs (unless you're making a smaller one, in which case, only one set of legs should be enough).

Once the legs are in the right position, I'll usually put some head cement where they enter the epoxy to make sure they don't slip out. Trim the legs and then start a thread behind the head and bring it back down the curve of the hook a little ways. I like to build up a little bit of a ball of thread at the farthest back point because I think it helps to splay the hackle out better.

Take two tips of hackle (or only one if you're making smaller poppers) and tie them in on one side of the hook making sure the bend in them is away from the hook. Repeat the same thing on the other side of the hook with two more.

Finally, take one more hackle and tie in a decently long piece with the bend of the feather pointing towards the back of the hook. Like so:

Wrap the hackle forward with several turns and then tie off and trim the hackle down so that it is just a little longer than the space between the hook shank and point. Whip finish to tie off the thread and then just clean things up! Here's the final product:

I hope you find this helpful. It you have any questions or need clarification, feel free to contact us.

As for how to fish these, just throw then out near the stream shoreline where the water is from 1-3 feet deep preferably under some kind of tree cover. After about a 5 seconds, if you haven't had a bite yet, pull in about a solid foot of line giving the popper some action, making some sound and vibrations that will be sure to grab the attention of hungry bass.

Fishing Report: Rivanna at Darden Towe & Riverview Park

I hope you all have been out fishing like Cameron and I have. It is beautiful out, there is plenty of water, and the fish are biting... in some places more than others. I went out on Saturday afternoon for a couple of hours to Riverview Park in Charlottesville to wade the Rivanna. I actually got a good amount of action for the apparent lack of structure on the bottom of the river. Conventional wisdom is still correct with undercuts in the bank and any fallen trees being the best places to present your fly. I ended up pulling in some largemouth, bluegill and smallies that day. Harry Murray's Carolina Blue Poppers worked great, and silver/gold kreelex also did the trick. Unfortunately, I haven't bought a waterproof bag for my camera yet, so no pictures of smallmouth fishing for now.


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Darden Towe Park, upstream about a mile or two from Riverview Park on the opposite bank, proved disappointing. Cam and I headed up there yesterday afternoon and were excited to find lots of underwater grass and rocks, which we surmised would hold lots of smallies. This was not the case. I caught a couple of bluegill on the CK Paradox spoon fly I just picked up from Albemarle Angler, but overall the fish that I saw were much smaller than downstream.


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I think the next stop on the Rivanna for me is Free Bridge. I'll be sure to let you all know how it goes. Tight lines, y'all.

Fishing Report: Rappahannock River (Kelly's Ford)

Checked up to the Rappahannock River on my way up to D.C. this weekend. When I got there, I got sick to my stomach when I pulled up to the Kelly's Ford parking lots. Both were absolutely packed. I almost just drove away. But after having my fishing license was looked at by the local game warden, I headed down to the river and found that there was some sort of party/hangout going on just adjacent to the bypass which explained why the parking lots were full.

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As I hiked upstream, the poplars started showing off the silver underbellies of their leaves and thunder started rolling in the distance. I had a solid hour on the river before the afternoon shower hit my location which allowed me to pull in several smallmouthand a few bluegill using bass poppers. Unsure of how long the rain was going to last, I chilled out along the side of the river underneath a poplar which fortunately had a trove of blackberries underneath it. Having forgotten to eat lunch, I was certainly grateful for the lucky find. It was quite beautiful, looking out at the river, as the rain came through. Finally, after about 30 minutes, the sun came back out. Fifteen minutes later the bass were already biting again on the surface. I found several bass hiding out amongst the rock garden that predominates the section upstream of the bypass.

Although the fishing was good, I wouldn't say it was the best. Had I continued to hike further upstream, I'm pretty sure the fishing would have gotten even better.

Still had some trouble getting the hang of throwing Clawdad's out there. I just can't seem to break out of my streamer/popper mentality when it comes to smallmouth. If someone has any advice as to where to throw crawfish patterns and what kind of action to give them, that'd be awesome.

Even though this spot was a solid hour away from Charlottesville, I'd definitely hit it up again in the future. Yet another great smallmouth river to be explored here in Virginia.

Tight Lines.

Fishing Report: Rivanna River at North Milton Road

I went to check out another place to wade the Rivanna for smallies. I parked at the boat ramp parking area off of North Milton Road, crossed the street and followed the well blazed path along the river. I found a nice put in and wet waded downstream. I initially was in a section with fast moving water in the middle and nice deep pools with overhanging trees along the shoreline. Several nice smallmouth and a ton of bluegill were taken with my styrofoam poppers (I'd give them a name if I thought no one had made them the way I make them...) and safely returned to continue to grow larger.

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Farther down the water started slowing down and the river bottom became more silted and grassy. I caught a few more here on a white CK baitfish but the wading became difficult and I found myself pulling myself out of muddy banks hoping not to lose my crocs. (Yes, I wear crocs. They are God's gift to man.)

All in all, I'd say it's a great section. A lot less pressure than at the Darden Trowe Park section and better places to find big fish. If and when I go again, I'm definitely going to walk father upstream.

Fishing Report: Sugar Hollow Reservoir

Wednesday, July 8th I took a quick late afternoon trip up to Sugar Hollow Reservoir with my buddy, David. The weather was perfect and the bass were definitely biting. Overall I think we hauled in about 6 bass, two of which were of pretty decent size.
We started at the dam and just walked along the shoreline fishing all of the good locations. David was using my go-to Yamamoto Senkos while I was fishing with my new favorite bass streamer, CK Baitfish. Yet another awesome fly by Chuck Kraft. I fish it just like I do a Senko. Just let it hit the water and fall slowly without twitching it. This usually will get a fish to bite immediately as it's got some great movement to it as it falls. Then I'll give it a 6 inch strip in every so often to bring it back up before letting it fall again.

David talks to fish, btw.

This lake is just teeming with fish. We barely walked 1/8 a mile around the shoreline. For the more adventuresome fishermen, I imagine the far shorelines hold some huge fish that haven't seen a lure/fly in a long time. (No boating allowed on the lake, fyi)

Fishing Report: Clinch River and Big Tumbling Creek

Over the 4th of July weekend, I took a trip down to Southwest Virginia to see friends and to fish. I got a recommendation to first check out the fee fishing section of Big Tumbling Creek below Laurel Bed Lake. While the area was beautiful and the stream reminded me a lot of the other creeks in the area (Big Stony and Little Stony), the fishing was hardly respectable. I find it a shame that such a wonderful stretch of water was turned into a section used for the cheap thrills of catching stocked trout. Granted, the fish were much better than the usual stocked fish you find around Virginia.

One of the beautiful falls marred by the masses of worm cans and broken off fishing line.

I also got some funny looks from the locals as I fished in my waders and with my flyrod. Although they in return got some funny looks from me as I wondered what could possibly be exciting about sitting around a small pool with a worm on a hook or perhaps some powerbait. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against that form of fishing. In fact, I'll throw a worm out every once in a while but it doesn't make sense to do it in a would be an awesome brook stream.

The view looking out onto Laurel Bed Lake

So after I hooked a few browns and returned them safely back into the water for a few more days of life before someone else thinks they are worth removing (for bragging or eating?), I headed back down the mountain and went to check out the smallmouth population at the Clinch River. For the hour I was there at the Nash Ford, I caught quite a few smallies most of which were small but there was the occasional large one. All in all, I think it's a fantastic river. I wish I had had more time and my kayak with which to explore it. I apologize for not taking pictures, I was in a hurry and would rather catch fish then record them.

My styrofoam bass poppers delivered on this trip as they have on others. I'll have the instructions up soon.