Freshwater shopping list.

[cotton]

My New Years resolution is; to spend equal time freshwater fishing this year as the salt. Until I became a teenager I rarely used any rod besides a flyrod. I can still see my Dad and Grandpa skulling with one hand and the fly rod in the other. Back then, it was not uncommon for us to catch over a 100 bluegill in a day. I plan to return this year to my roots, and I'm sure it will bring back lots of great memories of flyfishing with my Dad, Grandpa, Uncles, Brother, and cousins. Since I haven't done this in 10+ years, I have a lot to learn. I'm now going to make a newbie mistake and ask too many questions at once.

For the freshwater flyrod:
Do you guys still throw popping bugs(like the glow bug)? Or are there better choices today? I'm not a fan of tying my own.
Can I carry my other rods sticking up behind me while Flyfishing?

For Bass:
Since my family always thought of bass as less than desirable, I'm really hurting for knowledge in this area. Luckily the freshwater guys post lots of pics that provide a wealth of knowledge. For example, I know BK loves the frogs and poppers and I've probably got enough pics of him with some monsters to figure out the colors. I'm going to use my Saltwater rods/reels. If you want to offer more info, please do.

For panfish and crappie.
I've seen very few post where folks target these. I really can't understand why? What rod/reel/line do you carry for this purpose? Do you have a favorite lure?

Santa was good to me. I have gift cards to Cabelas, Basspro, Kevin's and Walmart waiting for you to help me make my freshwater shopping list.

[Panacea_M]

Great stuff, Cotton.
I'm not a fly expert but the old pop n bug works great for me on the end of a cane pole in my garage. I take it out in the warmer months and walk banks of the creek behind my house and catch fat deep purple almost black bluegill and it is just as much fun as it was when I was eight fishing with my Dad.
Post pic if your new expeditions and don't rule out lakes and ponds inside the city limits.

[capncrunch]

Go with what you used as a kid. One of the lures that takes me back is the Arborgast Jitterbug. Now that's a classic. Build your arsenal slow as you gain knowledge. That G-Loomis Frog rod I won is an awesome set up that I wouldn't have recognized a few months back. And yes, I use my salt water gear in fresh. For example the Spook Jr. and the Stick Shad both produce for me. Finally, learn to throw weedless plastics.

[bk]

Tim, let's go fishing! If you want to throw the flyrod, my recommendation would be something around a 5-6wt. I have some bk pop'n crease flies for ya. As for rods in fresh, if I bring the flyrod, I typically bring only one conventional along - just to keep it simple.

Crunch is dead on when he said that what worked when you were a kid will still work today. Jitterbugs are good in low light conditions when the water warms up. However, I am partial to poppers and zoom horny toads. Zoom lizards and super flukes can also get the job done. Check with crunch about his choice of yak in fw, I think he found the revo to be awkward.

Tallahassee has many possibilities when it comes to fw fishing. I think you're really gonna enjoy it. Let's fish.

[kikstand454]

I'm unsure if you are talking about bass fishing with your fly rod...but then other people listed lures not really associated with fly fishing so here it goes.
The one thing that you shouldn't be without when bass fishing in our area (talquin,seminole,jackson) is a black zoom trick worm. Rig it texas, carolina, shaky head, weightless, bite it in half as a jig trailer and buzzbait trailer.... possibilities are endless.
I have full confidence in everything I throw and change lures a lot till I find the right pattern and right lure. And more times than not it seems that the black trick worm produces the most.
Numbers AND size.
Oh....and tidal water bass (and reds) in this area are stupid for a yellow #4 snagless sally.

All bass lures will catch bass some of the time. Everyone has their favorite.

[marlindoc]

Let's fish! A good friend of mine reminded me that we have to get back to our roots to be happy. Some of my best days were brim fishing and scuba diving for lobster and grouper.

[Charles]

I haven't been freshwater fishing in years, but I fully agree with what this guy says about rubber spiders. Especially the part about "you can never have too many black ones."

http://bigbluegill.com/photo/sponge-rub ... e=activity

[cotton]

http://bigbluegill.com/photo/sponge-rubber-spiders?xg_source=activity

Awesome site Charles. I've been reading it during the game. It's much better than FSU's offense.

[frank]

Several times last winter, spring, and early summer I really did well on speckled perch, bluegills, and flybream on beetle spins. These trips were before I got my kayak, in my duck boat on local lakes and from the shore at the lake in my neighborhood. It always seemed that there was one color or another that was prefered on any given day. I went one time with a friend and his wife on a local lake and we had our three person limit of panfish in less than two hours. I found that it was very sporadic.....one day you caught one on just about every cast and then the next you could barely get a nibble. The most consistent colors I had success with on the beetle spins were black or white.

[cotton]

Thanks to all that provided advice. I took a little from all the suggestions. The site that Charles recommended was awesome. Here's what I bought.

2 Shimano 1000 reels
10 lb powerpro
6 lb flourocarbon
2 7' 6" ultralight rods(Cheap ones)
Black bettle spins(1/8 and 1/16)
Several micro lures(Crank and crawfish)
Gulp nightcrawlers(for tipping jigs)
Several colors of Zoom frogs
Black Zoom trick worms.
1/8 ounce Rattlin spoons
1 popper that looks like what's in BK's pics

I then went thru my old tackle box to see what I could find. Lot's of micro lures, crappie jigs, soft plastics and dry flies.

Most of this won't arrive until next week. But, I'm going tomorrow anyway. I won't be unable to cast anything but a few bass lures and the fly rod and I doubt the fly line will even float it's so old. But, does it really matter.

Thanks again.

[Charles]

Thanks to all that provided advice. I took a little from all the suggestions. The site that Charles recommended was awesome. Here's what I bought.

2 Shimano 1000 reels
10 lb powerpro
6 lb flourocarbon
2 7' 6" ultralight rods(Cheap ones)
Black bettle spins(1/8 and 1/16)
Several micro lures(Crank and crawfish)
Gulp nightcrawlers(for tipping jigs)
Several colors of Zoom frogs
Black Zoom trick worms.
1/8 ounce Rattlin spoons
1 popper that looks like what's in BK's pics

I then went thru my old tackle box to see what I could find. Lot's of micro lures, crappie jigs, soft plastics and dry flies.

Most of this won't arrive until next week and I don't know where but I'm going. But, I'm going tomorrow anyway. I'm going to be unable to cast anything but a few bass lures and the fly rod and I doubt the fly line will even float it's so old. But, does it really matter.

Thanks again.

What?? No black rubber spiders??

You may (depending on just how far it's gone) be able to, at least somewhat, recondition that old flyline with ArmorAll; or some similar product. I know ArmorAll makes both flylines and mono a lot slicker flowing through the guides. It's been a few years, but I used to use it all the time when I was stationed out in CA and doing a lot of bass fishing. Before that I used to use it on my flylines when I was stationed in Japan, trout fishing the mountain streams.

As a cautionary note: ArmorAll will also make a linoleum floor slick as buttered glass. As you will find out when you spray a line in the kitchen ... and your wife walks in the kitchen with socks on; and takes an E Ticket ride all the way to the floor. Things may go easier if you don't laugh out loud when this happens.

Come to think of it; it's about the same as when she steps on a coil of nylon rope you laid out on a hardwood floor several years later.

[cotton]

What?? No black rubber spiders??

I was quite sure I had plenty of black rubber spiders. But, I didn't find any in my old box. It's all my brother throws in Missouri.

[JT]

For summer bass be sure and add some floating frogs. I fish the Ribbit floaters a lot. Rig them up with a twistlock type hook and the will last much longer. The December issue of Florida Sportsman has a great story about fishing for specs. Jigging through floating vegetation in a yak can very effective. In open water the 1/8 and 1/4 Rat l Traps are a good search bait

[bk]

What?? No black rubber spiders??

I was quite sure I had plenty of black rubber spiders. But, I didn't find any in my old box. It's all my brother throws in Missouri.

foam spiders are the easiest and quickest tie at the bench. i'll whip you up a half dozen. i'm gonna hit fresh sunday. get in touch with me if you're interested.

[Charles]

My Dad reminds me. Black Hula Popper. Slo-o-o-ow.


No; slower.


You're still too fast.