FishExplorer has been updated. See what's new... (hide this)
Spring Fishing
Blog by: Lloyd Tackitt 3/26/2017 (Return to blogs)
Yesterday in the Brazos.
Using a crawfish imitator I caught eight to ten large bluegill, about fifteen crappie from a school in a very specific and tight spot, one hybrid bass, one drum, and a twentyish pound buffalo. A pretty good day.
I took photos of two of the fish because of their spectacular spring coloring. The crappie is a magnificent specimen of camouflage by way of beauty, look at that amazing black stripe down its back for instance.
And the bluegill is a fantastic golden-yellow hue. I'd put this bluegill against any freshwater fish in the country for it's beautiful colors - and ounce per ounce its fight. This one looks to be developing eggs.
I am not good at holding a fish in one hand and photographing it with the other, sorry. All fish released.
UPDATE:
Went again yesterday. Caught plenty of gills and crappie.
Hooked into three giant hard pulling fast moving fish - probably carp in the 20 pound range, they pulled harder than buffalo and when up near the top I'd get a flash of orangeish yellow side - but all three got off the hook.
I had one on for about fifteen minutes and then it wrapped the line around brush and got off. Heck of a fight each time, hard pulling and man can those things move fast through the water.
This time I was using a fly that was black and yellow like a bumble bee and had two rubber legs in front and two in back. The day before I was tearing them up on a crawfish imitiator, yesterday they wouldn't hardly look at it.
Blog content © Lloyd Tackitt
Comments
Kennywho
03.26.17 11:04 AM
How in the world did a Drum bite on a fly?
Beautiful fish.
We fished Lake Dunlap yesterday and had zero takes. Too many boats on a small lake. Looking forward to Friday.
anglerwannabe
03.26.17 11:21 AM
Nice Lloyd. With the water temps down there, the bass should be hitting spawn or pre-spawn at least. I'll be down there in 3 weeks to attack the bass. lol
Lloyd Tackitt (author, aka Lloyd Tackitt)
03.26.17 12:29 PM
Drum will take a fly that is dragged across the bottom sometimes. If you think of how to fly fish for salt water red fish, and use the same techniques you can occasionally get one to hit. Drum is the fresh water cousin of the red fish.
Lloyd Tackitt (author, aka Lloyd Tackitt)
03.26.17 12:30 PM
I could see some nice size bass, and they were showing no particular interest in eating. Water temp was 70. So they should be eating, I just didn't have what they wanted I guess. Not that day. But...
About the Author
I live on the edge of the Brazos River. I walk out my front door and into the river and - boom - I am fishing just like that. For me the river is fascinating. The mile long stretch I fish is a microcosm of the river, I have it all in that one mile. Trying to figure out where the fish are, what they are doing, why they are doing it, what they are biting, if they are biting - this is what keeps me in the river casting flys. I fly fish almost exclusively. It isn’t that I am a fly fishing snob, it’s that fly fishing works – it’s effective - and it has added benefits. I carry all my tackle in a vest, no tackle box needs to be dragged along. The casting itself is fun, even when I don’t catch fish I’ve enjoyed the experience of casting. Fly rods enhance the experience of bringing fish in. I like the hands on the line feel instead of the feel of line spooling up on a reel and muted down through a gear and crank system. Fish fight better and feel better on a fly rod. Fly fishing just feels better to me than other methods.