An Experiment

My one grandson was going fishing with his outdoor recreation class. Well it was probably best that we set him up with a spinning rod or some sort. I went down to the basement and finally found a casting rod and reel. I put on 6 pound line and then I went to Canadian Tire to get some small bobbers. The plan was to hang flashbacks below a 25 cent bobber.

Well it was time for an experiment. I used my fly rod and Karen used the spinning rod with a bobber and two flashbacks about 5 feet down. Our set ups were the same except Karen had a bobber big enough so she could cast it out!

Well after and hour, it was a tie, 5 each! The only challenge that Karen had was setting the hook was a bit harder. It was a lot easier to cast, especially for our grandson. I hope his day on the water is lots of fun!

Sometimes, fly fishing with a spinning rod just makes sense. It certainly will help kids get out and have a chance to catch some trout!

 

Cow Lake

Karen and I decided to check out Cow Lake the other day. They stock so many trout in Cow Lake and we wanted to see if they were catchable or not! Well it was a beautiful day with a "chinook arch" stretching across the western sky. The water temperature was 61 to 63 degrees. Not bad. We looked for trout in all the usual places that we have caught them before. We only caught pike. We set up with Tokaryk Specials. There was about 2 feet of visibility in Cow Lake. We fished undercuts, deflections, etc. We hooked lots of pike but not a single trout. The pike are in great condition too.

We were not surprised by the result but disappointed that after stocking the lake with over 50 000 trout, rarely results in catching them. Hmmm, no wonder the pike are fat and happy!

Three years ago the trout fishing at Cow Lake was amazing. The trout had over wintered several years and they were big. I hope that will happen again. Cow Lake is such a fertile lake although it is shallow and often winter kills.

Go to Cow Lake and strip some streamers. Take some time to try for trout but be mainly ready to chase pike. They are lots of fun on a fly rod!

 

Flashback Pheasant Tails

Hi Everyone!

Do you have some Flashback Pheasant Tails in your lake fly box? I have been using them with a lot of success as of late. I have been using size 14. I hang them under a strike indicator or strip them. They imitate boatmen quite well. I love to twitch them. Yep even under an indicator or as I strip them. The takes are usually solid!

I modify the Flashbacks slightly with a full body shellback although you can limit the flash to just over the thorax. Add a few to your fly box.

Oh, and ... I love fly fishing in a river with Flashbacks! 

Flashback Pheasant Tail

Thread: Red or Olive 8/0

Hook: Daiichi 1120 size 14

Tail: Pheasant

Rib: Copper Wire, small copper

Flashback: Mirage Opal Tinsel, medium

Thorax: Peacock herl

Legs: Biots, brown

Tie in copper rib

Add Pheasant

Add in Mirage opal tinsel

wrap up pheasant

Add shellback then wrap up the copper wire rib

Add thorax

Add biots, then flip over mirage opal tinsel and whip finish