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Post by slim on Feb 13, 2018 23:26:12 GMT -6
This Saturday AM there will be a Tulsa TU one fly on LIR.
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Post by darrelln09 on Feb 14, 2018 9:08:12 GMT -6
What are the details of that?
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Post by danimal on Feb 14, 2018 9:27:03 GMT -6
Everyone gets the same fly ($5 per). Flies distributed at 8:30 AM at the Watts area. Fishing runs from 9 to 12. 2 categories (most fish and longest fish). All results are based on the honor system.
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Post by slim on Feb 14, 2018 15:48:53 GMT -6
darrell, I PM'd you a few more details.
If anyone wants the email PM me ...........
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Post by slim on Feb 16, 2018 22:39:34 GMT -6
Darrell, received those Hanak H450BL jig hooks today. Have you already posted a Sexy Walts ? They kind of look a bit like a Bird's Nest don't they ?
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Post by darrelln09 on Feb 17, 2018 0:42:47 GMT -6
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Post by slim on Feb 17, 2018 17:16:27 GMT -6
Thanks D.
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Post by darrelln09 on Feb 21, 2018 13:02:55 GMT -6
I bagged this little dandy on the Lower Illinois on Sunday afternoon. Put up quite a fight! Hooked another one, bigger of course , just minutes later but he skittered across the water on his tail for about 6 feet and then spit out the hook. Made me hoot and hollar. I hope no one heard me.
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Smallfry
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Post by Smallfry on Feb 21, 2018 21:12:38 GMT -6
That looks like a blast! I've only been to this river once, very pretty.
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Post by darrelln09 on Feb 22, 2018 0:09:14 GMT -6
That’s danimal out there in the distance catching fish like a machine! There are Bald Eagles sizing us up just out of view in the treetops to the right.
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Post by danimal on Feb 23, 2018 11:00:31 GMT -6
That’s danimal out there in the distance catching fish like a machine! There are Bald Eagles sizing us up just out of view in the treetops to the right. And as usual -- Darrell down at the end of the pool catchin' all the big ones....
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Post by darrelln09 on Feb 26, 2018 8:38:47 GMT -6
Yesterday, the river level was up about a foot and the flow rate was noticeably higher compared to the last few weekends. That should be a good thing but the recent rain has turned the water quite cloudy with the visibility reduced to only a few inches in most places. Fishing was tough for most people I talked to throughout the Watts WMU. For me, my trusty Sexy Walt’s produced just a few strikes. By mid-afternoon, though, I was getting pretty fair action on, of all things, a Navy Diver nymph. It’s a blue tinsel-bodied jig with a gold bead/ribbing and two wiggly rubber legs for a tail. It was tied with weight wire as well so it sank quickly. I fished it under an indicator with it pretty much dragging on the bottom. My thought was to present something very shiny and get it down deep to where the lethargic fish seemed to be hanging out. Thankfully, it worked far better than I expected on my one-year fly fishing anniversary. howtoflyfish.orvis.com/fly-tying-videos/nymph-flies/938-navy-diver
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Smallfry
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Post by Smallfry on Feb 26, 2018 12:04:29 GMT -6
Darrell, ya'll go after any of the other interesting species up there??
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Post by darrelln09 on Feb 26, 2018 13:13:39 GMT -6
Not so much. Probably some smallmouth when the summer heat sets in. I went once or twice last summer with not too much luck but I’ll be a little better prepared this time around.
Note to self: Order materials for mini foam hoppers!
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Post by dainw on Feb 26, 2018 18:39:10 GMT -6
I fished it yesterday as well. Think the water being off color was having an effect on the bite. I caught 5 I think all day and usually that’s a 30 or 40 fish a day place.
As far as other species go, striped move into the system in the summer time. Theres also a large population of buffalo. I’ve caught drum, catfish, and white bass in the river as well. Maybe a few black bass in the system as well, but if You want to target smalljaws, upper Illinois above the lake is the place to go.
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Post by darrelln09 on Feb 26, 2018 19:19:46 GMT -6
I picked up 10 during the afternoon, 7 of those on that Navy Diver. The water coloration definitely affected things. I think I hooked a Buffalo as well. It was rather big and dark and very heavy on my line. At first I thought I had snagged a piece of firewood but then I realized it was moving. The problem was I had so much line laying on the water just downstream of me that I didn’t know what to do. When he tried to swim under the pile I attempted to hold him back and that was the end of it. He snapped my tippet just above the indicator. One mistake and you’re done, just as jonbo had warned me.
Yeah, I was meaning above the lake when fishing for smallies. The two times I went were on the Baron Fork Creek. Thanks for clearing that up.
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Post by troutbum54 on Jun 1, 2018 15:01:24 GMT -6
a little fatty from this morning while testing some patterns such as this Which ended up being destroyed by lots of smaller stripes
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Post by darrelln09 on Jun 1, 2018 17:32:17 GMT -6
Beautiful fly but I don’t really see how you could harden it much. Oh well, just tie some more!
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Post by troutbum54 on Jun 1, 2018 18:19:46 GMT -6
It’s more of a bring a comb along and brush it out after every fish type of deal but the things that are hard to keep on are the eyes! I have a hell of a time trying to keep those on after a few fish no matter how I place the UV glue on or how thick
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Post by darrelln09 on Jun 1, 2018 20:54:34 GMT -6
Have you tried a different glue? Perhaps the UV resin behind the eyes isn’t fully curing. I use Loctite Super Glue Ultragel Control for my glue-on eyes. It doesn’t run when first applies and seems to hold pretty well.
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Post by troutbum54 on Jun 2, 2018 6:49:23 GMT -6
I still use super glue underneath and UV on top but after a few fish smack it around one or both eyes will break off
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Post by darrelln09 on Oct 15, 2018 12:43:44 GMT -6
Went to the LIR yesterday; first time since the spring flooding. The fishing wasn’t great but was okay. The flow was low and the water was a little stained - visibility maybe 20” or so. Managed to get to net about 10 fish in 4 hours. There were a few rising fish here and there as well but I couldn’t figure out what they were going after. It didn’t seem like anything.
The bite really slowed down just before noon and then the horn went off about 12:30. I see from the graphs that they are still generating seven days a week, usually starting at about 1pm.
I didn’t try a lot of different flies but everything I caught was on a Chartreuse Sexy Walt’s. Go figure.
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Post by dainw on Oct 15, 2018 14:55:57 GMT -6
Darrell,
Did you fish watts or up by the dam?
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Post by darrelln09 on Oct 15, 2018 17:19:53 GMT -6
Darrell, Did you fish watts or up by the dam? I fished at Watts, in the fastest water I could find. I was trying to Euro Nymph but at 30 cfs there just isn’t much fast water to be found. Caught one that way but added a NZ wool indicator for the rest.
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Post by dainw on Oct 15, 2018 19:59:56 GMT -6
Yeah not a lot of riffles on that river. Glad to hear you got into them though.
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