HT Fly Fishing Club
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Perdix
Yearling... With promise
Ha, I did spend a near hypothermic day in a downpour in AK two years ago with holes in both legs of my waders! Still so fun.
I started fly fishing about 12 years ago. I’ve been fortunate to fish for everything from smallmouth locally, to rainbows in AK, to bonefish, tarpon and permit in Andros, Belize, and Honduras.
Favorites are either popper fishing for smallmouth on the upper Mississippi, or the off-grid Honduras trip I took last year where I landed the first permit I ever cast to. I’ll never be so lucky again!
The last few years, I’ve been using a tenkara rod for some of the highly pressured trout areas of AK (highway system and Russian River). That is such a fun way to fish.
Love the coloration of the AK rainbows. North of Anchorage:
1st permit, Honduras. For such a small fish, their fight is amazing:
Baby tarpon, Honduras. I wasn't there for the migration, so we targeted locals that hung out around the villages. This guy had to have jumped at least 10 times, 4' out of the water:
Dolly Varden, AK. They fight so much like a big smallmouth but don't jump. They are bulldogs. Gorgeous fish:
Surf fishing snook, FL. They would chase baitfish up the waves to about where I'm walking:
I started fly fishing about 12 years ago. I’ve been fortunate to fish for everything from smallmouth locally, to rainbows in AK, to bonefish, tarpon and permit in Andros, Belize, and Honduras.
Favorites are either popper fishing for smallmouth on the upper Mississippi, or the off-grid Honduras trip I took last year where I landed the first permit I ever cast to. I’ll never be so lucky again!
The last few years, I’ve been using a tenkara rod for some of the highly pressured trout areas of AK (highway system and Russian River). That is such a fun way to fish.
Love the coloration of the AK rainbows. North of Anchorage:
1st permit, Honduras. For such a small fish, their fight is amazing:
Baby tarpon, Honduras. I wasn't there for the migration, so we targeted locals that hung out around the villages. This guy had to have jumped at least 10 times, 4' out of the water:
Dolly Varden, AK. They fight so much like a big smallmouth but don't jump. They are bulldogs. Gorgeous fish:
Surf fishing snook, FL. They would chase baitfish up the waves to about where I'm walking:
Incredible! What a wide variety of fish.
AK rainbows are something else! I had a field day on Willow Creek just North of Wasilla AK. That Dolly is a beauty! I do a lot of brookie fishing in PA so I am a sucker for those dolly vardens.
Perdix
Yearling... With promise
The Willow is a cool river system. I floated it in 2023 on a borrowed one-man pontoon. I had never rowed before that day. The upper stretch was a death march of miles of dragging the boat more than floating, and the lower section was a terrifying stretch of sweepers with tons of logs in the water all the while trying not to get pinned. But the fishing was amazing and I want to do it again! I have yet to get a full colored up male dolly. Their coloration is insane.
Shouldn't you be fishing for smallies in PA? :)
Shouldn't you be fishing for smallies in PA? :)
Props to you for floating that solo. After riding down it on a guide trip in a raft, I'd prefer to be with someone who knows what they're doing! As you said, the sweepers in the lower section are an absolute death trap. I saw a family of tourists coming down on rented floats and rafts and watched them get pinned on a log jam. Thought for sure I was going to watch their last moments when a few of the young daughters were trying to push off the logs to free the whole party. It was a terrifying scene.
Beautiful grayling! I caught my fair share of those on that trip as well. They're a beautiful fish.
I am primarily a trout bum. I spend most my outings hiking up small blueline streams in the woods of PA chasing 4-6" brook trout. There are plenty of nice brown and rainbow streams here too, but I love the solitude and beauty of the small streams up high in the mountains on public land.
Where are you located?
Perdix
Yearling... With promise
A friend of mine that had drifted that at least 100 times, pinned his boat the next week, flipped, and lost all his gear. He's lucky he was able to crawl his way up. Scary stuff people do for fish. The blue line stuff does look interesting. The solitude would be the way to go. What's your normal setup for those trips?
Home is on the upper Mississippi NW of Minneapolis. This stretch is managed as a trophy fishery for smallies. "Big ones" start at 19", and most guys use 8wts for them.
Home is on the upper Mississippi NW of Minneapolis. This stretch is managed as a trophy fishery for smallies. "Big ones" start at 19", and most guys use 8wts for them.
Wow, those are some big smallies! I have some decent smallie fishing around me as well although I haven't been out with the fly rod many times for them. They're an absolute blast to catch though, I do love them.
Most often, I use a 3wt which honestly is overkill for many of the fish I catch. I want to make a custom 1 or 2 wt but haven't done it yet. I love fishing a 3wt because I use it to euro nymph as well for more sizable fish too. Don't get me wrong, I've netted a lot of really nice trout over the years, I've caught salmon trout and grayling in AK, salmon and trout in ME, lots of trout fishing in PA and Maine, as well as several trips to WY and MT fishing trout. However, I live in the mountains of PA so many of my quick day trips are to a few select bluelines nearby so I've grown very fond of these little guys. They're a blast to catch, live in some of the most beautiful little streams you'll ever see, and almost always you have the entire stream and surrounding mountain to yourself. I've been fishing a primary group of 4-5 streams nearby for probably 10 years now and I've run into another fisherman once..... yes, once in 10 years. It still amazes me the amount of solitude found with these little guys in the water, especially for public land in PA.
Most often, I use a 3wt which honestly is overkill for many of the fish I catch. I want to make a custom 1 or 2 wt but haven't done it yet. I love fishing a 3wt because I use it to euro nymph as well for more sizable fish too. Don't get me wrong, I've netted a lot of really nice trout over the years, I've caught salmon trout and grayling in AK, salmon and trout in ME, lots of trout fishing in PA and Maine, as well as several trips to WY and MT fishing trout. However, I live in the mountains of PA so many of my quick day trips are to a few select bluelines nearby so I've grown very fond of these little guys. They're a blast to catch, live in some of the most beautiful little streams you'll ever see, and almost always you have the entire stream and surrounding mountain to yourself. I've been fishing a primary group of 4-5 streams nearby for probably 10 years now and I've run into another fisherman once..... yes, once in 10 years. It still amazes me the amount of solitude found with these little guys in the water, especially for public land in PA.
Perdix
Yearling... With promise
Dang, that's cool. So weird to think of these little tiny ribbons of habitat supporting fish. Amazing they can eke out a living in such a small little area.
A friend of mine has this 0 wt rod and likes it for smaller trout.
sunrayflyfish.com
I use a 3wt 11' Syndicate euro rod in AK. The length makes mending a bead drift really easy. It also casts dries beautifully. I'll use that in the winter for smallies when we have a hatch on the Mississippi. I use the 2wt version for trout in Wisconsin. Haven't done that for a few years though.
I would think a little tenkara would be perfect for that water! Something like this.
dragontailtenkara.com
Catch and release does wonders. This might be a buzzbait fish given it looks like early season, but this was one I caught over 20" from a few years ago. When the water is high from the melt, they hug the bank and buzzbaits are the go to. Cast them on shore and pull them into the water. Sometimes they'll even hit it on the drop.
A friend of mine has this 0 wt rod and likes it for smaller trout.
Microlite GT Fly Rod
Ultra light slim medium / fast action matt blank gives you improved sensitivity, control, and accuracy. Designed with a matt blank finish for stealth and reduced light glare. Exceptional delicate presentation rodSuperb smooth loop delivery & tippet protectionPrecision tool for rivers...
sunrayflyfish.com
I use a 3wt 11' Syndicate euro rod in AK. The length makes mending a bead drift really easy. It also casts dries beautifully. I'll use that in the winter for smallies when we have a hatch on the Mississippi. I use the 2wt version for trout in Wisconsin. Haven't done that for a few years though.
I would think a little tenkara would be perfect for that water! Something like this.
TalonMINI 310 Pocket Mini Tenkara Rod 10ft
Very Short Collapsed Length at just 12 inches (13 inches in the case) it will fit easily in any backpack, motorcycle compartments, small enough to strap on bike frames, fit in your airplane carry on bag, or even a hoody pocket. Fantastic for a trail runner, a quick hike, or even a bike ride...
dragontailtenkara.com
Catch and release does wonders. This might be a buzzbait fish given it looks like early season, but this was one I caught over 20" from a few years ago. When the water is high from the melt, they hug the bank and buzzbaits are the go to. Cast them on shore and pull them into the water. Sometimes they'll even hit it on the drop.
That’s a beauty! I haven’t been out targeting smallies in a long time, maybe I’ll do so this spring!
I have a local rod builder who I’m going to have build me a ultralight rod similar to the one you shared. I do have a tenkara as well. I toss in in my backpack on hikes here and there, and enjoy fishing with them, but still fish with traditional fly rod/reel more often. Same with a custom bamboo rod I was gifted, absolute pleasure to cast but not something I use regularly.
I have a local rod builder who I’m going to have build me a ultralight rod similar to the one you shared. I do have a tenkara as well. I toss in in my backpack on hikes here and there, and enjoy fishing with them, but still fish with traditional fly rod/reel more often. Same with a custom bamboo rod I was gifted, absolute pleasure to cast but not something I use regularly.
