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 Post subject: Undergunned Update
PostPosted: Sun Jun 03, 2018 5:59 am • # 1 
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Joined: 12/29/12
Posts: 1835
Location: Rusagonis, New Brunswick, Canada
Yesterday dawned dark and overcast. Official forecast was 'cloudy, with an 80% chance of bass'. So I grabbed a coffee and a muffin, and went to the loft to tie up a S__tfaced MacDougall. Its a #2 dry fly hook, white calftail tail, conical (popper-style) chartreuse deerhair body, grizzly palmered body hackle, and a grizzly collar. Looks huge but doesn't weight that much.
In a last minute fit of wimposity, I put the 3wt back and grabbed a 5 wt 9' rod because the winds were coming up. I struggled into my hippers, applied a liberal dose of deet to discourage the blackflies and mosquitoes once I entered the woods, and hiked down to the pool.
Thirty minutes in, after some flashy, splashy strikes, I had landed a half dozen big fallfish breeders who managed to get their mouths around the fly, each time thinking I had hooked a bass. Then, something delicately sipped the fly under and it was game on. It wasn't the brute, but the smally measured 18" and fought well. Over the next hour, I landed (in addition to a few more fallfish) two more bass measuring between 18 and 19", but no sign of the big'un and no smaller bass.
I guess I'll leave it for a couple of days and try something else. As the water level drops, the big fish will slowly drop back downstream, but I've got about a week before they leave this pool and it appears I'm the only one fishing it so far. Besides, if I ever become so jaded as to be disappointed in catching 'only' 18" fish a ten minute walk from my house, well, shame on me.
My apologies (to everyone but Cliff :lol ) for the use of the word '5wt'.
brent


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 Post subject: Re: Undergunned Update
PostPosted: Sun Jun 03, 2018 10:40 am • # 2 
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Joined: 06/13/16
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Location: Southwest Florida
Apology accepted.

Sounds like it was a great day, regardless of the choice of tackle.


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 Post subject: Re: Undergunned Update
PostPosted: Mon Jun 04, 2018 9:46 am • # 3 
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Location: Plano, TX
:lol I expect to see a pic of the big one before the week is out, Brent. Sorry you could only catch little 18"-19" smallies.


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 Post subject: Re: Undergunned Update
PostPosted: Mon Jun 04, 2018 2:24 pm • # 4 
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Joined: 12/29/12
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Location: Rusagonis, New Brunswick, Canada
Cliff: yes, I hope to get another crack at the pool this evening. And its supposed to drizzle all day tomorrow, so maybe then, too.
I sent photos of the three largish fish to my salmon and trout fishing buddy. He considers bass to be a member of the crustacean family :eek and even he admitted that he was almost tempted to take me up on a longstanding offer to come fish for them. Almost. :lol
brent


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 Post subject: Re: Undergunned Update
PostPosted: Tue Jun 05, 2018 7:54 pm • # 5 
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Joined: 02/07/14
Posts: 382
Location: The southern tip o' Texas
Geeze, Brent!!! I don't care where you are, 18" brown bass are top-drawer targets. Wish we had 'em closer to the Houston area. Good on you. I love trout and salmon (haven't caught either in decades), but I never saw a trout or a salmon that could outfight a brown bass. I guess I'll just have to be satisfied with those pesky redfish....... they kinda pull hard too :applause :applause :applause :applause


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 Post subject: Re: Undergunned Update
PostPosted: Wed Jun 06, 2018 7:16 am • # 6 
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Joined: 12/29/12
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Location: Rusagonis, New Brunswick, Canada
Hipshot: Redfish! Man, I'd LOVE to get a crack at some of them. You lucky dog! I fished them once, near Bluffton, but with no success. Frankly, I had no idea what I was doing.
I'm with you on the 'pound for pound' thing in terms of the fight of trout vs. smallmouth bass.

update: I went back Monday evening in a gentle rain as a cold front was moving in. That's never a good sign. The big green floater was only mildly successful, so I switched to a #6 wooly bugger with a chartreuse marabou tail, red chenille body and bright orange palmered hackle with a few green rubber legs added for bad taste. Part of my 'pole dancer' series. :lol
Long story short, first cast was gulped while the marabou was still floating on the surface. After a great fight with plenty of acrobatics, I landed a big, gravid female just a hair over 20", mouth to tail fork. My biggest bass on a fly rod to date. I'm amazed at how, with smallies, each additional inch of length adds so significantly to their mass. And their fight.
Got a total of 7 bass, smallest was 11". He looked tiny; the same fish that would have been the fish of the day for me at times, and still will be on future trips, I'm sure. Being the perennial optimist, I want to believe that the larger 22+" fish is still there (and even exists), and I will definitely be going back next overcast day, but honestly, at this point, I'm very grateful that the smallest, closest waters we fish can at times be the best.
brent


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 Post subject: Re: Undergunned Update
PostPosted: Wed Jun 06, 2018 11:11 am • # 7 
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Joined: 04/02/17
Posts: 221
Location: Colorado
Good for you Brent. I'd love to get into some 18 inch smalls no matter what weight rod.


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