New Year Resolutions

Everyone is making resolutions; Ridiculous resolutions that inevitably fail by the time February comes around. So instead, I thought I'd make some that may actually have a fighting chance of coming to fruition (this, of course, all hinges on whether we'll have time to fish while busy on clinical rotations). Here are mine:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/captkodak/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

1. Catch another gar. After I reeled in one of these prehistoric monsters last summer, I became OBSESSED and went on numerous occasions out to the Rivanna with the only goal of pulling in another to ensure the first wasn't just a fluke. I even bought heavy duty gloves to make sure I wouldn't lose a finger or two while trying to get the hook out. Alas, I received some head turns but never a solid bite. So by far the top thing on my list is to snag one of these guys again.

Huge Mossy Creek brown caught by Shane from Mossy Creek Fly Fishing (photo courtesy of MCFF)

2. Catch more brown trout (big ones). This may sound picky but really it means a lot more than it seems. Practically the only place to find decent brown trout around here is Mossy Creek. From our past posts about Mossy, you'll know that it's always a challenge to fish out there and going home skunked is a very real possibility. So this year, how about we pull in some of those famous monsters that the guys over at Mossy Creek Fly Fishing seem to pull in regularly.

3. Float the Jackson. Hopefully when I'm stationed in Roanoke in August I'll have some time to hit up the nearby Jackson River. From what I could tell from our quick visit just below the dam, the river is loaded with healthy fish and ideal water temperatures to ensure good fishing year round. Let's just hope that if I do float it, that I don't meet any angry landowners with shotguns.

4. Successfully fish the Shad Run. Okay last year I went out and tried my best to fish the Shad Run down near Richmond. This year, I think I'll play it smart and wade the Rappahannock instead. Also I'll probably need to get a sinking line and some properly made shad darters. Hopefully this time my trip will be more like Gordon's from Albemarle Angler as seen in the video above.

5. Catch more fish than Rich. Hey, I at least had to have something realistic on here right? Rich, you just been SERVEDDDD.

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.