Bass pond 7/8

[hankinsfly]

Good day on the bass pond. Canoe'd around, had a good time. Star fish of the day was this 5-6 pounder. I was messing with some bluegills and the new hopper patterns (which also caught several 3-4 lb bass) on the 3-wt when I saw a huge splash Orr to my right on the adjacent bank. Reeled up the 3-wt and hopper and unhooked the popper off the 8-wt. Rowed over close, slowed down the canoe. Cast in the area. Bluegill hit. Threw again about 7-8 feet further, BAM! He nailed it. He wanted it. Dragged me around in the canoe for a minute. It was a good catch and a good day. Also caught some really nice hybrid sunfish. Good day to spend in the outdoors. I am ready for some trout.

[mirvc17]

Nice fish! How do you like that Magellan Outdoors shirt? My wife got me one of their mesh boonie caps and I love it...it's light weight, you can wash it, it breathes and protects you...

[hankinsfly]

Thanks. Magellan is my favorite brand. Same quality as the Simms and the Ex Officio and all that, and the price is excellent. And they make em in fat boy sizes. Usually about $25. Some of these shirts have huge pockets so if you just want to carry one box and a couple spools of tippet, you can pull it off with these. Going minimalist is better when possible, in my opinion. All kinds of styles from 100% cotton to the lighter synthetics. I have a few Simms and whatnot and Magellan brings the better value.

[greenman]

Have to agree on quality of Magellan, I have a few of them and the Columbia pfg shirts. Best thing is never paid more than $6.00 for any of them.

[hankinsfly]

Sale?

[greenman]

Hank, There is a little place here in my area called "Hope's Closet". My wife loves shopping there and has gotten me into looking. It is a resale shop with proceeds that go to help a women's shelter. I have found several fishing/outdoor shirts, shorts and even Korker's felt sole boots. Alot of the items still have tags and are brand new.

[Fenwick]

Academy sometimes puts their Magellan mens outdoors wear on sale priced so low you wonder what's what until you leave the store with a full bag. Stein Mart of all places features Columbia fishing shirts for stupid cheap as well. Once in a while Costco has "Hey I could really use this for fishing and camping" mens outdoor wear for a killer price too. I already have enough of everything, I just need to fish. Hanks photos embarrass me because I'm a trout snob. I have White Rock Creek not a ten minute walk from my residence here in Far North Dallas where it runs between the Bush and Frankford Road, just made for wade fly fishing for bass and sunnies and such. I went once or twice. All nice and woodsy and green and quiet back there along the river and there are riffles and runs and holes and wide open space to practice casting all alone but...no trout. Do I go? Nope. A 10 minute walk down the street and I don't go? Nope. It's warm and I can wet wade there? Yep. All the colorful sunnies and bass everywhere there and they'll take anything presented? Yep and I still don't go. The Plano Orvis store oughta have casting and drifting lessons there but I don't think the staff knows it's there. A really really nice stretch with greenspace along either bank such that you'd never believe you are in Dallas or any suburban area for that matter. All the interesting wildlife too and I don't go. All the while I lament my unused fly fishing equipment and wonder when I'll ever get to Beavers Bend. Why don't I just go down to the end of my street and cast some flies or hoppers to whatever kind of fish are there of which there are plenty just for the practice and for the fun of it? No trout. Shame on me.

[hankinsfly]

In the words of another famous trout snob, James Leisenring: "We fish for pleasure; I for mine, you for yours." I like to fish for anything and even have a little more respect for wild fish in its native range and waters, whether they be largemouth bass in a slow backwater or Ozark or Neosho smallmouth. I really, really like those smallmouth. They were difficult to catch last weekend in that low, crystal-clear water of the Kings River in Arkansas. Those bass were born in that river, never having been produced or introduced from human intervention. I like that. I'm not saying I dislike fishing for stocked trout; I just like fishing for wild fish more. What I like about trout is the way you fish for them. The small flies, the easy casts, the way they use the current to their advantage in their fight. They eat interesting stuff and have peculiar habits. They're beautiful with their colors and they have a grand tradition. The smallies, though, the smallies.... they have a more pure value to me. They are not commercialized, are not mass produced in farms and dumped in a body of water. The Ozark and Neosho variety grow very slowly, and a 16" fish may well be that many years old. I couldn't kill one. Don't wanna kill a stocked trout either, but the taking of a few trout for dinner does not hurt my soul as does the killing of an Ozark smallie. I say if you want to eat some fish, go pull some clean water creek catfish. I would rather eat beef, chicken, lamb, or pork over any fish. Smallmouth bass fight like nothing else. They are naturally camouflaged and, in my opinion, outright beautiful. They are native to the Ozarks, and Ozarks have my mind. I like the Rockies, Sangre de Cristos, Dolores, Tetons, Bitterroots, Sawtooths, Cascades, Sierras, Olympics, the Ouachitas and the Wichitas, and even the Smokies, but there's just some undefinable something about the Ozarks that make me feel good. The big mountains blow my mind as well, the high desert pulls me in too.. I guess what this really boils down to is, "the tug is the drug," and "I'd rather be fishing." The fishing life is just a good life to live.