Showing posts with label micro flyfishing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label micro flyfishing. Show all posts

Monday, September 16, 2024

September 15, 2024

 Went micro-flyfishing on a new section of a creek I had fished a few times earlier this year.

As I reached the water and began to get my gear ready to fish, I looked downstream and saw something swimming awkwardly in the water.  It was a Box Turtle (Three-toed).  It reached the bank, but the bank was nearly vertical, so I waded downstream to help the turtle get up on shore.  He was a handsome fella!

Male Three-toed Box Turtle


I then decided to fish my way upstream.  I was fishing a pool about 50' or so upstream of the first turtle, when I saw another (female?) Three-toed Box Turtle on the bank.  She didn't appear in need of assistance, so I took a few pics and walked on around her and kept fishing my way upstream.  She didn't seem too worried about me.
Three-toed Box Turtle

It's a pretty creek....some sand, some rock...some limestone bluffs near the creek in some spots.

I saw a large hornet/wasp/bee nest in a tree along the creek.
Fishing was decent.  I caught good numbers of Striped Shiners, Creek Chubs, Blackstripe and Blackspotted Topminnows, plus Bluegills, Green Sunfish, Longear Sunfish, a Mottled Sculpin, a Southern Redbelly Dace, a Bleeding Shiner, and some Redfin Shiners.
Striped Shiners:





Creek Chubs:





Blackstripe and Blackspotted Topminnows:






Mottled Sculpin:

Bleeding Shiner:
Southern Red-belly Dace:
Longear Sunfish:



Bluegill (so tiny!):
Green Sunfish (also tiny!):
Redfin Shiners:




I caught a few "doubles".... fish on both the lead fly and the micro fly.  It was usually 2 Striped Shiners, but not always.  Its interesting to me when I get 2 different species at once!  In the case below.... a Creek Chub and a Longear Sunfish:


Monday, March 11, 2024

March 10, 2024 Micro-Flyfishing

 Tried a different section of the same creek yesterday, with the micro stuff again.  Caught 29 fish.  13 Striped Shiners, 4 Creek Chubs, 3 Bluntnose Minnows, 3 Bleeding Shiners, 1 Northern Studfish, 2 Longear Sunfish, 2 Bluegills, and 1 Green Sunfish.  Finally had a couple Darters hooked, and several Topminnows hooked, but all fell back into the water instead of into my hand. Rats... would have loved to have gotten pics of them!

This looks like it would be really easy to catch these little fish.  Sometimes it is (for the Striped Shiners and Creek Chubs), but its also a lot of work and time, and patience when trying to get the smaller-mouthed fish to strike something that isn't real.  Many times I see fish come up and look and decide my offering is NOT FOOD.  Frustrating.  Equally frustrating is when a fish finally DOES hit, and somehow manages to not get hooked on the tiny hook.  You only get so many shots!

Friends were consulted again to help me I.D. some of  the fish.  

The Bluntnose Minnow was a new species on fly for me.

Bleeding Shiners:
SU78D.jpg

Bluntnose Minnows:

SU78V.jpg

SU78Z.jpg

Creek Chubs:
SU78t.jpg

Northern Studfish:
SU781.jpg

Striped Shiners:

SU7RK.jpg

SU7RH.jpg