My first shad on the flyrod

I accomplished one of my fishing goals for 2012 on 01/21/12, I caught my first Shad on a fly rod, and I did it on my new Scott A3 5wt using 1x tippet! What a fight, I played the fish for nearly 5 minutes before it tired out. I bought this rod in November to be used during this year’s Shad and Crappie Derby, and maybe a little pan fishing. The wind was up on the St. Johns River, but, I stuck with it and after a few hookups, I finally landed this fish.

I shot the video with the GoPro Hero2 in 1080p and did the time lapse using a small egg timer that I customized to support a GoPro mount, similar but not exactly like this one…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJOx7wtt62Q

I actually used a small LadyBug egg timer that I got at Bed Bath and Beyond for $3.50. It is smaller and easier to store.

One thing to note, in playing with the GoPro when fishing, I think shooting in 960p rather than 1080 gives you a better first person perspective. In 1080, you get the wide shot but miss the action at the reel.

Music: Ulrich Schnauss- Nobody’s Home

Panfishing after work

You know… sometimes this is what it is all about. We can’t always get out to the river, lake, lagoon, or ocean… but there are quiet, beautiful places to be fished all around you. Tonight I stopped at my local pond on the way home and fished for an hour. With my 5wt Scott flyrod in hand, I started casting a Quill Gordon and found no love. When I want to catch panfish, there is one fly I can always turn to, my Simple Marabou Damsel Fly Nymph. While the fish are not always whoppers, you would be surprised what will hit this fly. Tonight I found perch, bluegill, and crappie.

It can be quite therapeutic to get in some fishing after work… to detach from the busy world, TV, cellphone, and computer. I filmed this evening with my GoPro Hero2 so I knew I would be plopped down in front of a computer soon enough, but to be honest, it was nice to extend my fishing fun after dinner while I edited this video. I hope that you enjoy!

If you would like to learn how to tie my “go to” fly, the Simple Marabou Damsel Fly Nymph, check out this video…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpqMb34FfH4

Please practice catch and release when fishing small ponds, streams, and retention ponds so that future anglers can enjoy fishing as much as you.

Music- Jorman Kaukonen: Water Song

Thank You So Much!

Just Saturday

Marci and I decided to head out on the kayaks today to do a little exploring. After spending the better portion of the Christmas break lying on the couch together nursing illness, and then returning to work, it was a welcome outdoor experience. I am really amped about fishing the Shad and Crappie Derby this year so really, I was scouting prime locations for when the shad migration makes its way to central Florida. The derby is a yearly photograph and release fishing competition in Florida and while I am not really a competitive fisherman, it gives me some direction in the winter months. We decided to launch from Mullet Lake Park and ended up paddling about 4 miles round trip to Lemon Bluff.

I really had not made any distinct plans, but, it just happened that we paddled up to the spot that C. Boyd Pfeiffer said is the “heaviest spawning” area on the St. Johns River in his book “Shad Fishing” that Marci gave me for Christmas. I was a little bummed to see that alot of the flat shoreline with minimal trees were marked “No Trespassing.” I could see that this would have been a great spot to fish the shad run back in 1975 when Pfeiffer published his book. However, we found a nice spot nearby to stop and have a picnic… the usual treat lately, chicken salad, wheat crackers, and a beer.

Marci and I did find a few spots that might be good for wading, but all in all, it was just a nice quiet day on the water. While I did wet a line, we both agreed that as far as St. Johns fishing destinations go, it’s going to be hard to beat the Jolly Gator further south.

Marci gave me a GoPro video camera for Christmas and it is the perfect addition to our kayak trips. Check out some video from our relaxing day on the St. Johns river today.