Saturday, February 22, 2014

Lotsa White Bass

James, Evan, Ben and I meet down at the creek today. The white bass are getting thicker in the creek. Not sure how many fish we caught but I think everyone would say we had a good day. White bass fishing is kinda like the dove hunting of fishing. Everyone can sit around in a hole BS'n and catch lots of fish. Its not overly sufficticated fishing and the intensity level is fairly low. When they are biting they will hit about any small baitfish pattern. Everyone gets in plenty of action and we get to watch each other hook up and play fish while giving each other shit about catching limbs on back cast, losing flies and missing fish.

I've always liked the dorsal fins of white bass.

Evan had fun with his 2wt glass rod today. 

Ross Reels

Ben playing a fish. 

One of Bens better white bass. 

James and I doubled up. 

Saturday, February 15, 2014

The Whites are in the Creeks


First time this year hitting the creeks looking for sandies. They are there, the fishing is still going to be a little slow for a few more weeks. It will only get better and now is a good time to start zeroing in on them so when the run is in full swing you will have a couple spots nailed down.

They like the mini spinsters

There is nothing to special about tying flies for sand bass. they have small mouths so a size 6-8 hook, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches of bucktail and some flash. the fish do seem to like sparsely tied flies. But if the water is not clear you'll want more bucktail to push more water and produce a better profile.


My white bass fly box.
1. The top fly is a size 8 gama b10s that is all flash on the bottom and just a little bit of chartreuse bucktail on top.
2. I started tying on these 1/32 and 1/16 jig heads because they are cheap and you can tie on some bucktail and flash in just a few seconds. Plus you can find them anywhere and the sandies tear them up.
3. Is your standard clouser
4. New for this year and already working great is the mini spinster.
5. Always throw in a few indicators when the fish aren't super aggressive they can save the day. Just rig the fly to bounce just off the bottom and give it a few twitches now and then. 

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Osa Peninsula Costa Rica

The wife and I just got back from a great trip on the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica. We flew United to Houston and then onto San Jose, Costa Rica. From San Jose we hopped on a small Cessna and flew into Golfito, Costa Rica with Sansa Regional. Then we took about a 40 minute boat ride across the Gulf of Dulce to Port Jeminez. The trip was great with lots of scarlet macaws flying around all over the place, monkeys, tucans, sloths, all kinds of birds, butterflies and I was able to get a little bit of fishing in. We stayed at Iguana Lodge and would recommend it to anyone looking for a true rainforest vacation in southwest Costa Rica. I was able to fish one day and went offshore looking for sailfish. We raised 10 but couldn't get any fish to take a fly. They just weren't all that hot, the sails would come in the teasers and then just kinda fade away before we could get a fly in the water. I did catch a blue fin trevally while free lining some bait on a 30lb trolling rig. It is a cool fish that I've always wanted to catch on a flyrod, unfortunately it wasn't the best fight on the heavy trolling rod meant for much larger fish. Check out the pics below for the rest of the trip.

Ready for take off. 

Flying into Golfito.

Everyone recording the landing, which was into
a small runway in the middle of the jungle. 

Pacific Ocean, Clouds and Mountains. 

View from the room. 

Relaxing

 Beautiful Beaches 

The Wife and a monkey. 

This monkey would point out where she wanted to
be petted. 

Lots of scarlet macaws everywhere. 

This monkey took special liking to me. 

Lots of dolphins spotted. 

Bluefin Trevally on trolling gear.
Nothing caught on the flyrod :-(

 Hard to see but this water spout
formed on the ride in. 

 I caught this sail in January of 2007 on trolling gear
during my first trip to Costa Rica.